


The Art of Subtlety

by SomeStoryWriter



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Other, Reader-Insert, Romance, Secret Santa, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 10:30:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17364329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeStoryWriter/pseuds/SomeStoryWriter
Summary: Subtlety is an art, and Kiku has mastered it perfectly.





	The Art of Subtlety

**Author's Note:**

> Written for jupiturde (Tumblr) for the Hetalia Extravaganza secret santa event
> 
> My first reader insert :D

It’s too early when you wake up. The sun is up already, but it’s too early. You’ve slept for maybe two hours, and your mind is exhausted, but your body is telling you to get up. You place a brief kiss on the pile of messy black hair—still sweaty from a few hours before—and you roll off the futon, the tatami muting your footsteps as you sneak out of the bedroom.

You’ve both been very busy, and although you were the one to suggest a getaway, it was Kiku who prepared his countryside house for the occasion. Not that there’s anything wrong with his apartment in Tokyo; it’s very convenient and there’s never a moment of boredom. But the walls are thin, the streets are always busy, there’s no garden aside from a few plants on the small balcony… and the walls are so thin. You never even realized how much of a problem that is until last night, when the lack of direct neighbors made it possible for you to do whatever you wanted, as long as you wanted, as  _loud_  as you wanted.

You find your discarded pajamas on the floor and groan as you pull them on. A hot bath would be wonderful for your sore muscles right now. Instead, you boil some water for tea. As you look around for a cup, two arms wrap themselves around you from behind. Your lips curl up into a smile. “Good morning.” You get a tired groan in response. He brushes his lips against your cheek, not quite a kiss, but almost. His hands are cold but soft.

Subtlety is an art. And that art is practiced through the things that are not said, and not done. It’s in the fingers that graze past your arm without grabbing it. It’s the warm breath in your neck that doesn’t form any words, yet spells out “I love you” as clear as can be. It’s not needing to say these words, because actions speak louder anyway. And the actions, although not always noticeable, are in the right place without fail.

The shelf in the bathroom which has wordlessly been reserved for your things when you come over, the extra pillow added to your side of the couch, the new lamp in the corner of the room where you like to read.

Fine art indeed.

* * *

 

After breakfast, you decide to go for a walk in the forest together. It’s a bit crisp out, and there’s a hint of rain in the air. Kiku’s hand brushes past yours.  _Can I grab it?_  the gesture asks. You smile and entwine your fingers with his. The cold gives you an excuse to lean in closer, your arm pressed against his. “It’s really lovely here,” you sigh. “I’m glad we decided to come here.”

“It’s even lovelier than usual.”  _Because you’re here._

You kiss his chilly cheek and squeeze his hand. 

“Ah, there it is.”

“What is?”

Kiku doesn’t answer and instead leads you to a large pond. There’s some leftover green from the summer growing along the banks, and a bridge leading to a resting spot with a bench. He tightens his grip on your hand and gently, though excitedly, pulls you along. You chuckle and follow him. He takes you onto the middle of the bridge. “And now what?” you chuckle.

“Patience.” He pulls out a small bag from his pocket and peels it open. 

You lean in to sneak a peek. “Bread?”

“Yes.”

You wait for more explanation, but it doesn’t come. “…What for?”

He plucks a small bit from it and places it in your hand. “Feed them.”

“Who?”

He smiles and nods at the water. You raise a brow and drop the bread into the water. “What’s supposed to happen now?”

“Just wait.”

You keep your eyes on the pond while you seek out the warmth of his hand again. “What is there to—”

A few mouths appear on the surface, swallowing the breadcrumbs. The koi fish swim around, looking for more food. 

“Look at that!”

Kiku chuckles and holds up the bread for you. You eagerly pluck some more crumbs off the slice and throw them into the water. In an instant, the fish are on top of it, more of them appearing by the second. You laugh and keep throwing bread into the water, squatting down on the bridge, leaning forward to get a closer look. You could touch them if you wanted to. There’s so many of them, all fixated on you—well, the food. One of the fish splashes water in your face and you startle, losing your footing. You fall forward, but an arm quickly snakes around your waist, keeping you upright. There’s a low chuckle in your ear. “Careful. I wasn’t planning on going fishing today.”

“Shame, I’m quite a catch.” You let yourself be pulled back up. Kiku brushes some strands of hair out of your face.  _Yes, you are._

You smile and kiss his nose before taking him to the bench. You sit down with him and make your way under his arm. He rubs your arm with his thumb. You can feel the rise and fall of his chest, the way his body shields you from the now even chillier wind. A sigh escapes your lips. 

“What is it?”

“I wish we could stay here forever.”

“We can come back here whenever we want to. And in the meantime…” He places a kiss on your forehead. “We’ll just have to use our imagination.”

You smile up at him, a little drowsy from the short night. He looks down at you, eyes soft and adoring. You lean up, cupping his face, about to bring your lips— 

 A heavy rainfall starts pouring down, soaking you to the bone in seconds. You both cry out and jump up. “Run!” you say before taking off, Kiku following close behind you. You cross the bridge and follow the forest trail back, your feet sinking away in the mud. Kiku catches up and wraps his arm around your shoulders as you both keep running as if to keep you dry. “Ah! It’s in my shoes!” you cry out as you feel the cold water dripping into your socks. Your teeth are chattering from the cold and the rain prevents you from seeing more of Kiku than dripping black hair. 

You nearly stumble through the front door and hop around as you pull off your shoes first, and your freezing socks next. You try to keep your teeth from chattering too loudly as you pull off your coat. Kiku doesn’t seem to be doing much better; he rubs his hands together in an attempt to revive them from the cold.

“Bath?”

He nods so furiously that the water from his hair ends up on the ceiling.

* * *

 

You hum as the hot water finally begins to relax your muscles. But even if it hadn’t, Kiku’s touch would have done the trick. His arms have gone from holding you to rubbing the sore knots in your shoulders. You moan as he rubs a particular bad one away. “You’ve got a knack for this.”

“I learned.”

He has. The first time he gave you a massage, he wasn’t just terrible at it, but you’re pretty sure he created some extra knots in the process. He’s gotten better over time, and you even found a flyer of a massage course around his house sometime.

You lean back against his chest, never getting enough of being so close to him. He wraps his arms around you again and places kisses up your neck. You chuckle. “That tickles.”

“Does it?” He moves on to kiss along your jaw.

* * *

 

You lean back further, resting your cheek against his shoulder, looking up into his eyes. He looks back into yours, playing with your hair. His fingers release the strands and rub your cheek instead, softly and admiringly.  _You’re beautiful, it says._

You lean up and ghost your lips over his, waiting for him to close the distance. He lays his hand in the back of your neck, his touch soft as a feather, and brings his lips to yours, teasing them in a fluttering kiss. You pull him closer, deepening the kiss. He lets out a little sound, his hands cupping your face, then holding onto your shoulders. 

You pull away and yawn. “Oh my…”

“Let’s go to bed.”

You nod and drain the tub. 

You move around until you’re underneath the covers and against Kiku’s chest. In the dark, you can barely make out his features.

He lets out a deep sigh.

“Mm?”

“I’m glad I took you here.”

“Let’s never leave.”

He smiles at you for a moment. Then, he steals one last drawn-out kiss and holds you close to his chest as you both start to drift off.  _I love you._

Subtlety is an art, and Kiku has mastered it perfectly.


End file.
